Automotive vehicle



Sept. 26, 1939.

L. H. VANDERWERF AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE Filed Nov. 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 26, 1939.

L. H. VANDERWERF AUTOIIOTIVE VEHICLE Filed Nov. 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .rfllflfllfflfllifllfllfld I'd! If/flffflld ril'flllfllffffffflll VENTOR 244 l A ORNEYS Paw Sept. a, rose UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, 2,174,493 AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE Leonard H. signor. by chine Tool Com, ration of New Y ork Application November 17,

Vanderweri', New mcsne assignments, to Triplex Ma- New York, N. Y.,

York, N. Y, n-

1937, Serial No. 174,91

1 Claim. (Cl. 280-3355) The present invention relates to trailer steering mechanism and more particularly to a novel and improved hydraulic steering mechanism suitable for use with a semi-trailer such as is used with automotive tractors.

Obiectsand advantages of the invention will and combinations claim.

The invention consists in the novel parts, construction, arrangements, combinations and im- 5 provements herein shown and described.

movement between it A further object 01' the invention is the provision of a hydraulically actuated semi-trailer steering device which can be easily and accurately installed sets of dirigible wheels and axles conventional manner. be provided tending to center the semi-trailer dirigible wheels.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description semi-trailer. This pivotal connection may comfifth-wheel coupling and is shown as a ball-and-socket joint, the ball I 5 besup- 20 and which are connected to the axle 20 by means of steering knuckles 2i pivotally mounted at the ends of the axle l9.

Dirigible wheels i9 and the steering knuckles 2| are connected to their individual hydraulic and may be moved thereby, and each of these cylinders comprises a relatively long and narrow cylinder 22 provided with a closed end which carries a lug 23 by which the cylinder is pivotally connected to a central support 25. Cylinder 22 is fitted over and slidable on a piston 24 which is pivotally connected to the steering knuckles 2| fixed to the axle 20 so that the cylinders and their pistons lie substantially parallel to the axle 20. A tie rod 26 is provided between the steering knuckles for the dirigible wheels and is pivotally connected thereto in the usual manner so as to maintain the wheels in proper aiinement.

The hydraulic pumpsmounted at the front end of the semi-trailer and supported on the chassis also comprise a cylinder and piston as shown in detail in Figure 4. As embodied, there is a piston 30 having a piston leather 3| attached to its inner end and mounted for reciprocation within the cylinder 32, and dust cap 32'. Cylinder 32 is pivotally mounted on the lug 33 attached to the under side of the semi-trailer chassis. Pistons 30 extend towards each other and are connected together for simultaneous movement by means of the single rod 35 which is adapted to be moved by relative angular movement of the trailer and tractor.

The steering movement of the dirigible trailer wheels is accomplished by means of link mechanism interconnecting the tractor and semi-trailer and as embodied, a bell crank 38 is mounted on a pivot 39 mounted centrally of the semi-trailer chassis and on the under side thereof. Bell crank 38 is connected by pin and slot connection 40 to the central common rod 35, and to link 4! while link 4| has at its other end a pivot pin 42 which projects into a slot 43 in plate 44. Plate 44 is mounted rigidly with respect to the fifth wheel or coupling, and the slot 43 is concentric with the pin pivotally connecting the end of the link 4| with the arm of the bell crank 38, and slot 43 is of a sufiicient length so that the pin 42 may be spaced from the king pin or other pivot point of the fifth wheel thesam'e distance as the other end of link 4| is spaced from the pivot pin 39.

holding the pivot pin 42 at either end or centrally of the slot 43 and for moving it to any one of these positions so as to shift the steering from forward to neutral or reverse, as may be desired. crank 50 is pivotally mounted on the tractor and is provided with a bifurcated end 5| which fits over the pivot pin 42 holding it in the desired position, and bell crank 5| is moved to one side or the other by means of a manually moved lever 54 which is pivotally mounted for convenient operation by the driver, and is connected to the bell 55. Lever 54 may be locked in any positions by means of the detent 56 engaging one or the other of the notches 51 in segment 5B, and is released for movement by means of the hand grip 59. In the position shown, the device is positioned for forward operation, but by 54 to its intermediate position, the slot 43 and no movement of the dirigible wheels takes place. Similarly, movement of the pin 42 to the other end of the slot positions the device for reverse steering movement, so that as the tractor and semi-trailer are backed, the semi-trailer wheels are steered oppositely to the front wheels, thereby decreasing the space needed for manipulation of the semi-trailer.

For this purpose, a bell Hydraulic fluid, such as is commonly used tor hydraulic brake systems, is supplied to fill the several cylinders, and the pump cylinders and their respective motor cylinders are interconnected by means of the conduits 60 having flexible ends 3|, each pump cylinder being connected to the motor cylinder on the same side. Additional fluid may be sup led, to replenish that lost from the cylinders, from a reservoir 64 which is connected to the pump cylinders by means of the conduits 65, and the flow of this replenishing fluid is automatically controlled by means of the check operated valves 66, while the lines may be bled by means of the manually operated valves at.

springs are provided for stabilizing the dirigible wheels of the semi-trailer, and for this purpose, coil springs 10 of considerable strength are tensioned between lugs ii at the ends of the axle 2t and an anchor plate 12 clamped to the tie rod 24.

The operation of the illustrative embodiment oi the invention may be summarized as follows:

When the vehicle is being driven straight ahead the wheels Ni, ii and |9 are in parallel planes, the wheels is being held in the position shown in Figure 1 by the tie rod 26 and by the link. and lever elements 4|, 42, 38, acting through the hydraulic pumps 30 and motors 2|, 22, 24. As the vehicle is steered to the left (Fig. 2), the tractor l2 and semi-trailer l8 are angularly moved relative to one another, and the link 4| is moved rearwardly compressing the hydraulic fluid in one cylinder 30 andexpanding the chamber of the other cylinder 3|! to move the wheels I! as shown and proportionally to the movement of the steering wheels When the distance of pin 42 to the center of the slot 43 is the same as the length of the transverse arm of bell crank 38, and the pin-andslot connection 40 is spaced from pin 33 the same as the distance between the pivot pin for cylinder 22 from their respective king pins, the wheels I! will be turned to the same angular extent as wheels H are turned and thereby all of the wheels will travel on concentric circular paths.

When it is desired to back the tractor and semi-trailer, the hand lever 54 is moved to its extreme forward position, thereby shifting the pin 42 to the other end of slot 43, and when so arranged, the wheels I3 will be steered oppositely the rear end of steered to the left. Thus by manipulating the lever 54, the vehicle may be maneuvered much more easily than is otherwise possible.

The invention is in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claim without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

This invention relates to subject matter similar to that contained in my Patent No. 2,152,511 granted on March 28, 1939.

What I claim is:

In an automotive tractor-trailer vehicle, a steerable tractor; a trailer having its front end pivotally supported upon the back end of said tractor, steerable wheels on said trailer for controlling the movement of said trailer as said tractor is steered, a hydraulic pump system connected to said wheels and actuated by angular movement between said tractor and trailer for steering said wheels, and means for controlling the dethe trailer to be of steering of said steerable wheels when gree ctuated by said angular movement permitting connected to the other arm of said bell crank, a plate mounted on said tractor LEONARD H. VANDERWERF. 

